Valving arrangement for filling paint cans and the like



Dec. 12, 1961 c. H. MAYER, JR

VALVING ARRANGEMENT FOR FILLING PAINT CANS AND THE LIKE Filed Deo. 3l, 1959 CH TTor-IAJBY/ NVSNTQQ J CQYI 6)". y d

United States Patent C 3,012,700 VALVING ARRANGEMENT FOR FILLING PAINT CANS AND THE LIKE Carl H. Mayer, Jr., Wiimette, Ill., assignor to Rustleum Corporation, Evanston, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Filed Dec. 31, 1959, Ser. No. 863,334 1 Claim. (Cl. 222-448) The present invention relates to a valving arrangement for filling containers with paint or other liquid, with particular application to an automatic can-filling machine.

In the filling of paint cans and the like, it has been conventional to employ lill valves or nozzles of the spray head type including a perforated plate having a lapped closure plate. The closure plate is moved broadwise away from `the perforated plate so that the liquid is discharged in the form of individual, closely spaced streams. While such a valve has been in common use for a number of years, nevertheless there are a number of disadvantages connected with its use. First of all, the expense of machining a set of nozzle plates is high. When it comes to operation, one disadvantage is that each perforation is the source of a drip after the valve is closed, with the drips falling upon the machine and into the peripheral grooves of the can. This presents a troublesome maintenance and clean-up problem in addition to spoiling the appearance of the product. Moreover, the perforated plates are difficult to clean and do not work uniformly over a wide variation in liquid viscosity. Thus, for filling a container of given mouth diameter a number of different nozzle plates must be provided with different sized holes; line holes for a thin liquid and larger holes for a heavy liquid such as house paint.

Other types of prior art valves, are intended for metering a predetermined quantity of liquid which is undesirable where containers must be filled having about lthe same mouth dimension lbut of different capacity. The valve shown in Lamb Patent 2,492,873 represents a prior art eiort to solve the problem of dispensing and avoidance of drip.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention -to provide a fill valve which may be used to provide a timed l discharge of liquid in any desired total quantity depending on the capacity of the can, jar, or other container being filled.

It is another object to provide a ll valve which is capable of a high rate of discharge for the filling of a container in a minmum amount of time but which, nevertheless, has a clean opening with quiet flow, free of sudden spurting or splashing and a clean cut-olf with no tendency toward dripping.

It is another object of the present invention to provide the ill valve for discharging paint or the like into a container in a stream which is so wide as to approach the can lip diameter, thus making full use of all of the available space in the neck of the container and permitting a high volumetric rate of ilow while, nevertheless, keeping the velocity of flow down below the level which will cause splashing or foaming within the container.

It is another object of the invention to provide an mproved ill valve for discharging paint or the like into a container in the form of a minimum-energy hollow stream which impinges at or near the Walls of the container thereby providing a large area to frictionally dissipate the residual energy of the stream.

It is a further object to provide a chambered till valve so constructed and arranged that opening is accompanied by a sudden drop in pressure so that velocity of out-rush is maintained within predetermined limits over a wide range of static head even 'with the thinnest of solvents. It is a more specific object to provide a ll valve of the ice above type which may be employed successfully for illing a given size of container over a wide range of viscosity of the liquid, for example, all the way from solvents or thinners to viscous materials such as house paint, mastics, and the like. In this connection, itis an object of the present invention to provide a novel combination of ll valve and restrictor valve, with the restrictor valve being adjustable in accordance with the viscosity of the liquid being handled.

It is still another object of the invention to provide a lill valve which can be used with cans varying all the way from the half-pint size to many gallons simply by replacement of the valve elements at the discharge end of the valve, an operation which can be accomplished in a few minutes time.

VFinally, it is an object of the present invention to provide a lill valve which consists of a minimum number of parts, which may be simply and inexpensively constructed, and which requires little or no maintenance, being easily cleaned when cleaning becomes necessary.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon reading the attached detailed description and upon reference to the drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a vertical section of a lill Valve constructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a portion of the system in which the fill valve is employed;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary cross section taken through the lower portion of the ll valve and the can being iilled, ysho-wing the shape o-f the'dischar'ged stream;

FIG. 4 shows a set of alternatively used valve elements;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary view of the O-ring mounting.

While the invention has been described in connection with a preferred embodiment, it'will be understood that I do not intend to limit the invention to the form illustrated but intend to'cover the alternative and equivalent constructions included within the spirit and scope of the appended claim.

Referring now to lFIGS. 1 and 2 a fill valve 10 is shown having an actuator 11. Formed in the side wall of the lill Valve is an inlet orifice 12. Discharge occurs downwardly from a discharge orice 13. Liquid is fed to the inlet orifice 12 from a strainer 16 having an inlet line 17 leading from a vat or other storage facility. The strainer 16 may, for example, be of the type disclosed and claimed in my co-pending application Serial No. 863,294, tiled December 31, 1959. In operation, lthe iill valve is opened and closed as cans, indicated at 18, arel successively indexed into the iilling position. The pressure to move the liquid through the strainer'16 and the valves is preferably a gravity head, with the vat being located on the oor above.

The filling machine in which the present till valve is r employed is preferably automatically operated on a high production basis, and for further details on the machine itself reference may be made to co-pending application Serial No. 46,978, tiled August 2, 1960.

Having understood the environment in which the till valve is intended to be used, reference may next be made to the detailed construction shown in FIG. l. Here it will be noted that the till valve 10 includes a cylindrical housing 20 having a side wall 20a and a top 2Gb. At the lower end of the housing is a conical Valve ring 21 having a central orilice 22 and a threaded connection 23 to the wall of the housing.v Centered within the orifice 22 is a valve plunger r25 having a downwardly and outwardly aring end portion 26. When the valve plunger is retracted upwardly (the condition shown in FIG. l), the plunger seats in the ring 21 thereby cutting off flow of fluid. vTo insure a tight seal, the lip of the Valve ring maybe grooved as shown for accepting an 0 ring 28 (see also FIG. 5).

For guiding the plunger 25 for endwise movement, a frame 30 is provided at the upper end of the housing having an axial bore 31 into which the valve plunger 25 is telescoped. Escape of the liquid is prevented by an O ring 32 which is fitted into a slot in the frame and which slidingly engages the plunger. At the upper end of the plunger, the plunger is connected to the actuator rod 11a of the actuator 11.

To keep the plunger normally upraised, with the Valve inthe closed position, a coil spring 35 is provided around the rod 11a. At its lower end, the spring presses against the frame 3i) of the valve. At its upper end the spring is seated upon a disc enlargement 36 which is secured to the upper end of the rod.

For moving the rod `11a downwardly the actuator includes a flexible diaphragm 37 with the space above the diaphragm being connected to a conduit 38 which is fed from a source of compressed air through a suitable valve 39. Since a limited movement of the valve plunger suffices to open the valve for rated discharge, stop means are provided for limiting the downward movement of the actuator plunger. In the present device this function is accomplished by a threaded sleeve 40 which surrounds the actuator rod and is threaded into the frame 30. At its upper end, the sleeve provides an abutment 41 in the path of movement of the enlargement 36 on the actuator rod. At its lower end the sleeve is enlarged to provide a knob 42 which may be turned by the fingers thereby to control the gap 43 which determines the stroke of the actuator.

In accordance with the present invention the fill valve is annularly chambered and so arranged that upon opening the valve the volume of the chamber increases or, at the least, remains substantially unchanged. Further, in accordance with the invention, an adjustable restrictor valve 45 is employed in the supply line and adjacent the inlet of the ll valve for throttling the ow and thereby insuring an immediate drop in pressure within the ll valve upon opening at the valve seat, with controlled and splash-free flow thereafter regardless of the thinness of the liquid being discharged. Such a valve per se may be of a known type having a ported member i511 and a control handle 45]; with less than 90 of movement being required from the fully open to the fully closed position.

Since the handling of dinners and solvents constitutes the most severe test of a valve intended for can filling purposes, it will be assumed in the discussion which follows that thin solvent is to be discharged. The pressure existing at the inlet will be assumed to be within the range normally encountered in a practical installation, for example, a pressure between and l() feet of water. The restrictor valve 45 is adjusted so that the passageway is closed down but with sufficient opening so that the thin solvent can get through. However, when the fill valve is closed, the full static pressure will exist within the housing of the ll valve, such pressure being sufficiently high so that rather violent initial splashing might be anticipated. However, in the present construction there is an immediate drop in pressure at the instant of opening, and as soon as uid begins to flow through the restrictor valve 45, the throttling action in such valve produces a pressure differential so that the pressure at the outlet immediately falls to a small fraction of the available pressure head. Consequently, the liquid is discharged at a low velocity in the form of the conical stream which is shown in cross section in PEG. 3. As the stream diverges outwardly, it strikes at or near the wall of the can and the residual energy of the stream is immediately dissipated over a large area in fluid friction without any splashing or foaming taking place. In spite of a low Velocity, the high rate of discharge is achieved because of the size and wall thickness of the stream. For the purpose 4of conducting the displaced air, the valve plunger is made hollow and is vented to the atmosphere. Thus it will be noted in FIG. l that the valve plunger d has a central bore 50 with lateral vent openings 51 being provided at the upper end of the plunger. The size of the bore is such that there is only a small air pressure build-up within the conical stream, not enough to break the stream but yet enough for a slight cushioning of the stream.

Using the above construction, the amount of liquid which passes into the container is controlled simply by timing the interval during which the valve is open. lt is found that a high degree of consistency may be achieved over a range of pressure head so that just the right amount of paint or other liquid is discharged into the containers as they are indexed into filling position.

It is one of the features of the present invention that the same ll valve and the same elements may be ernployed lfor discharging viscous liquids such as house paint, with the same advantages discussed above in connection with discharge of solvent or thinner. All that is necessary is to adjust the restrictor valve 45 so that it is more fully open. When the fill valve is almost fully open there is a lesser drop in pressure Within the till valve housing and thus substantially the full head is available to force the viscous liquid out between the valve plunger and valve ring. Again, splashing is avoided both during initial discharge and during the time that filling is taking place. It will be apparent to one skilled in the art that for liquids of intermediate viscosity an intermediate setting of the valve should be employed and, if desired, the valve may be calibrated in terms of the various liquids to be handled.

Where it is desired to ll containers of different capacity but with about the same mouth diameter, this can simply be accomplished without change in the first valve simply by changing the discharge time. Where the discharge is automatically controlled by a timer 55 this can be accomplished simply by adjusting a control knob. For a more detailed discussion of the timer and control circuit, reference is `made to my copending application Serial No. 46,978.

However, where a container having a different mouth diameter is to be accommodated, for example, a gallon paint can instead of a pint, the only change required in the lill valve is the substitution of a different valve plunger and valve ring. To facilitate removal of the valve plunger, the same is pinned at its upper end to the actuator rod 11a by means of a pin 52. Such pin may be threaded at the tip in order to prevent loss and the head portion thereof may be recessed for insertion of an Allen wrench. To remove the spring pressure and thus facilitate removal of the pin, air pressure may be applied in the actuator so that the actuator rod is bottomed in its lower position. The pin 52 is unscrewed thereby permitting the valve plunger 25 to be withdrawn downwardly. Following this the valve ring is unscrewed at the threaded connection 23. The two valve elements may then be replaced by elements providing a larger diameter aperture as, for example, shown in FIG. 4. Here it will be noted that the valve plunger 25 and valve ring 21 cooperate in the same manner described above, the only difference being that the greater tiow is achieved for a given pressure head. The new ring indicated at 21a is screwed into place and the new plunger 25a is pinned to the actuator rod, following which the valve is ready to be used.

As the supply vat is completely emptied, a point will be reached where there may be a drop in the static pressure existing within the till valve sufficient to produce a noticeable reduction in ow. Consequently, toward the end of the run the restrictor valve 15 may be opened by increments in order to maintain proper ow characteristics for the last few cans in the run.

With regard to the novel cooperation between the restrictor valve and the fill valve, it may be noted that it results in fill valve settings which are the opposite of what might be expected. Thus, in the case of solvents and other thin or watery liquids the plunger of the ll valve is adjusted to provide a large discharge opening, with the restrictor valve being cracked open by a small amount. Where a liquid of medium Viscosity is to be handled the discharge opening of the ll valve is reduced, not increased, and the restrictor valve is opened to reduce the amount of throttling effect. In the case of viscous liquids such as house paint, the restrictor valve is opened rather fully and the rate of discharge at the fill valve may be adjusted from the almost fuliy closed position, depending upon the rate of discharge desired by the operator ofthe filling machine.

While the restrictor valve 45 is adjustable to accommodate various discharge rates (can sizes) and various viscosities, where a single liquid is to be dispensed in a single size of can, it will be apparent that the particular valve shown may be replaced by an element having the saine throttling characteristics without departing from the invention.

I claim as my invention:

In a fill valve arrangement for filling paint cans and the like having widely different volumetric capacity, the combination comprising a source of liquid under a static head, a cylindrical valve housing having a circular orifice at its lower end and having top and side walls, a valve plunger extending centrally through said housing to dene an annular chamber therein and having a ared tip portion for normally closing said orifice, an actuator superimposed on said housing and coupled to the plunger for moving the plunger downwardly for discharge of the liquid in a hollow conical stream, a restrictor valve in terposed between the fill valve and the source of liquid for throttling the liquid, means for maintaining the restrictor valve at a constant setting as the ll valve is `closed and opened so that a constant uid connection of predetermined cross section is maintained between the source and the fill valve, the top and side walls of the cylindrical valve housing being stationary and defining a constant volume so that upon opening of the fill valve the pressure within the fill valve drops instantaneously from the pressure of the static head to a substantially lower pressure due to the throttling effect of the restrictor valve for discharge of the liquid at a predetermined velocity lower than that which would be produced by said static head.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,413,916 Hallead Ian. 7, 1947 2,492,873 Lamb Dec. 27, 1949 2,645,401 Kerr July 14, 1953 2,701,676 Day et al. Feb. 8, 1955 

